Have you’ve been searching for The Best Cowboy Cookies Recipe? THIS IS IT! Featuring coconut, pecans, cinnamon, chocolate, and oats – these cookies are thick, chewy, and so flavorful!

Cowboy Cookie Recipe

If there’s one thing I hope you know about me, it’s this: I AM OBSESSED WITH COOKIES!

So when a friend introduced me to Cowboy Cookies a few weeks ago, I was instantly intrigued. And a little embarrassed. Because, like… how have I never heard of these incredible cookies before? HOW?

They’ve been around for AGES! But they really rose in popularity during the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential campaign. Do you remember this? Apparently Family Circle Mag featured recipes from each of the candidates wives, and then had their readers vote. And Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies beat all of the other submissions black and blue! Although I must confess, Tipper Gore’s Ginger Snaps look pretty darn good, too.

But I digress! After my brief history lesson, I basically ran to my kitchen and got to work creating my own version of these famous cowboy cookies! I used my chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as the base. But I added coconut, cinnamon, pecans, and chocolate chips. These are signature ingredients to cowboy cookies, so that’s nothing new. Since we added more dry ingredients to this recipe, I decreased the amount of flour and added an egg yolk, which helps keep the cookie dough moist.

Cowboy Cookie Ingredients

butter: we’ll use brown butter because it has SO much flavor!
light brown sugar: But dark brown could be used in a pinch! This ingredient adds sweetness and moisture. Be sure to really pack your brown sugar into the measuring cup before adding it to the recipe.
granulated sugar: Because we don’t want too much moisture, we use a little granulated sugar, too.
eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! And that they’re large eggs – not medium or extra large. When it comes to eggs, size does matter. So using a smaller or larger variety can totally throw off a recipe.
vanilla extract: A generous dash enhances all of the complex flavors in this recipe.
flour: Our beloved binder that holds everything together. Use all-purpose flour, for best results. And be sure you’re not packing your flour into the measuring cup. For the most accurate measuring, use a kitchen scale. Or, gently spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the flat edge of a knife.
baking soda: Our leavening agent, which help the cookies rise.
cinnamon: Adds a delightful cinnamon flavor signature to cowboy cookies.
salt: Balances out the flavors and ensures the cookies won’t be overly sweet. Skipping salt in baking recipes is a big mistake! The key is to use just a pinch! Trust me!
old-fashioned oats: AKA rolled oats! But not to be confused with steel-cut oats or instant oats.
shredded coconut: Use sweetened or unsweetened – up to you!
pecans: But walnuts can be used, if you prefer!
chocolate chips: or chocolate chunks! Up to you!

How to make Cowboy Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Combine butter with both sugars until light and fluffy.
Then add eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl combine cinnamon, flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, beating until just incorporated.
Finally, stir the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.
Scoop 3-inch balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 and 1/2 inches between so they have room to spread. Note: this makes BIG cookies. Because you’re using almost 1/4 cup of cookie dough for each. For smaller cookies, decrease the size and bake time!
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until cookies are golden and set at the edges and still slightly soft in the center. They’ll firm up as they cool! So don’t overbake! Cool cookies on baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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